75 



for curing the specimens. A fan was used to pull air through the 

 cabinet, and the air change provided good specimens in 2 to 

 4 days. At the l^niversity of Arizona, good results have been 

 obtained by directing the air current from a fan against the 

 side of a press in an open room. The outstanding feature of 

 drying by air change is color preservation, which makes the 

 collections more attractive to students. Since drying by air 

 currents is slower than drying by heat, liberal use of salt on 

 plants with any tendency toward thickness or succulence is 

 necessary to increase the drying speed and to eliminate molds. 

 Whether use of fans is practical in the East, Southeast, or 

 Middle West is another question. Humidity is low at Bakers- 

 field and in Tucson after the end of February, and maximum 

 temperatures range from 70 to 90 and above in March and April, 

 and from 80 to 100 or over in May. The combination of dry 

 air and high temperature is ideal for plant drying, and the fan 

 method is a good one at least for the Western States. 



II. Digging 



Digging tools are variable, and each collector swears by his 

 own type. Therefore, as one crank to another, the writer sug- 

 gests the following: an ordinary box opener with a hammer 

 end and a claw end (a trade name is Box Terrier). It is easy 

 to carry, and it serves well for digging. Since there is a slight 

 angle in the blade and the steel is strong and several milli- 

 meters thick, it is excellent, too, for prying rocks apart. The 

 hammer end is useful for smashing rocks. 



III. Softening Dried Flowers 



The following formula for a fluid of almost magic powers in 

 softening flowers and other parts of herbarium specimens for 

 study was called to the attention of the writer by Mr. Arthur 

 L. Cohen. Only a drop of fluid and about 1 minute of time are 

 required to restore the flexbility and softness of any ordinary 

 thin dried plant part, and the results are more satisfactory 

 than those obtained by the time-honored method of boiling 

 the flower. Per 100 cc, use 65 cc. of water, 20 of 95 per cent 

 methyl alcohol, and 15 of glycerine. 



University of Arizona 

 Tucson, Arizona 



